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Who is SchrΓΆdinger's putin? A man who can end the war tomorrow, yet also can't
[my latest op-ed in a π§΅thread]
Few medieval figures loom larger in π·πΊβs origin story than Yuriy Dolgorukiy, the prince who founded an outpost on the Moskva River from which russian empire arose
1/n
[my latest op-ed in a π§΅thread]
Few medieval figures loom larger in π·πΊβs origin story than Yuriy Dolgorukiy, the prince who founded an outpost on the Moskva River from which russian empire arose
1/n
But the man moscow claims as a forefather is buried not in π·πΊ, but in πΊπ¦
Dolgorukiyβs ambition was to rule Kyivan Rus from its true center β let the name be a hint.
He died there as Grand Prince in 1157 and was laid to rest at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, which Russia struck on June 15, setting a UNESCO World Heritage site ablaze
2/
Dolgorukiyβs ambition was to rule Kyivan Rus from its true center β let the name be a hint.
He died there as Grand Prince in 1157 and was laid to rest at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, which Russia struck on June 15, setting a UNESCO World Heritage site ablaze
2/
The barbarism of the attack crystallizes the very contradiction in which Russia's war is rooted. Putin oscillates between insisting Ukraine does not exist and dismissing it as a fabricated state, yet Moscow's own origin story keeps leading back to Kyiv.
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1/
In Drohobych, the reburial of 26 more victims of political repressions by the NKVD took place, whose remains were exhumed on the territory of the former torture chamber of the Soviet special services - the prison on Stryiska Street.
In Drohobych, the reburial of 26 more victims of political repressions by the NKVD took place, whose remains were exhumed on the territory of the former torture chamber of the Soviet special services - the prison on Stryiska Street.
2/
Almost a century after their tragic death, they received a dignified Christian burial. A funeral procession passed from the Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul to Rynok Square, where a city-wide memorial service was held for the repose of the innocently murdered.
Almost a century after their tragic death, they received a dignified Christian burial. A funeral procession passed from the Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul to Rynok Square, where a city-wide memorial service was held for the repose of the innocently murdered.
3/
The building at 3 Stryyska Street, where one of the buildings of the Ivan Franko Drohobych State Pedagogical University is located today, was the regional NKVD department and a remand prison in 1939-1941.
maps.app.goo.gl/UUjWnVubwLTa5fβ¦
The building at 3 Stryyska Street, where one of the buildings of the Ivan Franko Drohobych State Pedagogical University is located today, was the regional NKVD department and a remand prison in 1939-1941.
maps.app.goo.gl/UUjWnVubwLTa5fβ¦
It is sad to see Ukraine is again in 2026 where it was in 2023.
Specifically, Ukraine is failing to use available barge alternatives to move grain through Odesa to the wider world markets.
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Specifically, Ukraine is failing to use available barge alternatives to move grain through Odesa to the wider world markets.
1/
I pointed this out in a couple of posts in 2023, before the Black Sea grain deal put it on the very back burner, explaining what could be done.
Here is one post
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Here is one post
2/
And here is another in a larger Russian truck, port clearance & barge logistical π§΅
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20 Years of NIFG - The Top 20s!
Day 30: Northern Ireland's Top Goalscorers
#GAWA #NornIron
Day 30: Northern Ireland's Top Goalscorers
#GAWA #NornIron
20. Willie Irvine
23 #NornIron caps / 8 goals (1963-1972)
23 #NornIron caps / 8 goals (1963-1972)
19. Gareth McAuley
80 #NornIron caps / 9 goals (2005-2018)
80 #NornIron caps / 9 goals (2005-2018)
Tonight I typed just one sentence into Google Earth and put refugees near the Mexican border. Then I planted a nuclear plant in Iran. What on earth is Google doing? Check my latest post here: digitaldigging.org/p/how-to-plantβ¦
Google Earth on the web now has image generation built in, powered by Nano Banana 2. It went live today, worldwide, for everyone, with no waitlist and no application. (2/5)
You open Google Earth. You zoom to any coordinates on the planet. You click create image. You type what you want to see. Like this fake hospital and bomb crater in Gaza I just made. What?? (3/5)
NEW: DOJ files "notice of compliance" indicating it has turned over all 10 unredacted documents demanded by Judge Emmet Sullivan for his review in Katie Phang's bid to force the release of more unredacted Epstein files. 1/
Judge Sullivan's order directed DOJ to provide "documentation" that the people whose names are redacted as indeed victims or law enforcement personnel; that documentation appears to be solely in the form of DOJ's brief, as signed by Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward. 2/
Of the 10 documents at issue, however, DOJ does not identify the redacted information as pertaining to a victim or law enforcement personnel; instead, it says it is just PII, or personally identifiable information. 3/
1/ Another Wildberries warehouse is on fire, this time in Sarapul, after a Ukrainian drone strike. As the ongoing massacre of Wildberries facilities continues, Russian warbloggers are becoming steadily more irate about air defence failures. β¬οΈ
2/ 'Combat Reserve' is furious, pointing to the lack of willingness among commanders and officials to take responsibility (a long-running problem; see the thread below).
3/ "WB Sarapul.
WB Penza is also burning.
But this isn't [just] the enemy's doing, but the criminal negligence of local authorities.
The regions' helplessness is mired in bureaucracy and an inability to take responsibility.
WB Penza is also burning.
But this isn't [just] the enemy's doing, but the criminal negligence of local authorities.
The regions' helplessness is mired in bureaucracy and an inability to take responsibility.
On July 30, 2026, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly addressed speculation regarding his relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump. During an appearance on the "Hanging Out with Sean Hannity" podcast, Netanyahu dismissed rumors
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1)
that either leader controls the other, defining their dynamic as a partnership grounded in mutual respect despite occasional disagreements.
Netanyahu explicitly characterized the United States as the "senior partner" and Israel as the "junior partner,"
2)
Netanyahu explicitly characterized the United States as the "senior partner" and Israel as the "junior partner,"
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stating, "We treat each other with tremendous respect." He rejected the notion of a rift, noting that while they do not agree on every issue, they are aligned on critical matters such as quashing Iran's nuclear ambitions and pursuing Middle East peace.
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@rcolvile Barking up the wrong tree. Rough could redeliver 4-6 million cubic metres a day, provided it gets filled to begin with, requiring imports of LNG to do so.
Jackdaw could produce 6 million cubic metres a day (plus 40kb/d of oil) and saves costly LNG imports.
π§΅with more...
Jackdaw could produce 6 million cubic metres a day (plus 40kb/d of oil) and saves costly LNG imports.
π§΅with more...
@rcolvile The UK has never made much use of storage, even allowing for implicit use of European storage via NL and BE pipelines: instead it has relied on gas field production flexibility first from UKCS and more recently from Norway, and latterly, some LNG topup.
@rcolvile Most LNG imports until recently were re-exported to help the Continent stock up for winter. There storage plays a crucial role in meeting winter demand: purple is storage flow, yellow is pipeline supply and blue is LNG import.
Tahajjud changed nothing for me for two years. Same tears. Same requests. Same sunrise with nothing shifting.
Then I read something I didnβt expect - it wasnβt about praying longer or crying harder.
Then I read something I didnβt expect - it wasnβt about praying longer or crying harder.
It was about one thing I had never done on the prayer mat.
After my duβasβ¦ I used to leave.
Every night.
Say everything. Then go back to sleep.
But I didnβt realize I was getting up right after being in the closest moment to Allah.
After my duβasβ¦ I used to leave.
Every night.
Say everything. Then go back to sleep.
But I didnβt realize I was getting up right after being in the closest moment to Allah.
The reminder was this:
βYou are using the closest moment to Allah - the moment the Prophet ο·Ί said a servant is nearest to his Lord - and you are leaving right after placing your order.β
I had been exiting sujood in seconds,
then wondering why nothing felt different.
βYou are using the closest moment to Allah - the moment the Prophet ο·Ί said a servant is nearest to his Lord - and you are leaving right after placing your order.β
I had been exiting sujood in seconds,
then wondering why nothing felt different.
This discussion does not even take into account algorithm manipulation but it is an interesting discussion nonetheless. Some do not believe paid speech is free speech, however, domestic political speech is free speech.
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The problem with limiting free speech has always been the same: Who gets to decide? And how imminent must a threat be?
The Supreme Court has upheld broad protections for political speech under the First Amendment, as in Citizens United v. FEC,
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The Supreme Court has upheld broad protections for political speech under the First Amendment, as in Citizens United v. FEC,
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but has also recognized limits on foreign influence in elections and national security exceptions for adversarial state actors.
US law distinguishes domestic political speech from foreign-funded propaganda; statutes like FARA require registration for foreign agents, and
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US law distinguishes domestic political speech from foreign-funded propaganda; statutes like FARA require registration for foreign agents, and
3)
A guy who worked 6 years in a dealership finance office told me the real money isn't made selling the car. It's made in a 15-minute meeting after you've already agreed to buy it.
The car is priced close to what the dealer actually paid β margins there are thinner than people assume, often just a few percent. The real profit sits in a back room called the F&I office (finance and insurance), where a "finance manager" walks you through paperwork after the sale is basically done and your guard is down.
An extended warranty offered at $2,800: costs the dealer roughly $900β$1,200 to provide. A GAP insurance add-on at $895: costs around $200. A "paint and fabric protection" package at $999: often a bottle of spray sealant worth under $20, sometimes applied, sometimes not.
And the interest rate itself β the number that determines your monthly payment for years β is frequently marked up above what the bank actually approved you for, with the dealer keeping the spread as a commission called "dealer reserve," without ever telling you the bank's real rate.
He told me: "By the time you're in that office, you've already picked the car, told your family, mentally moved on. That's the exact moment the real markup gets added β because nobody negotiates a finance meeting the way they negotiate a car price."
Here are the 9 things he taught me about how dealership financing actually works.
The car is priced close to what the dealer actually paid β margins there are thinner than people assume, often just a few percent. The real profit sits in a back room called the F&I office (finance and insurance), where a "finance manager" walks you through paperwork after the sale is basically done and your guard is down.
An extended warranty offered at $2,800: costs the dealer roughly $900β$1,200 to provide. A GAP insurance add-on at $895: costs around $200. A "paint and fabric protection" package at $999: often a bottle of spray sealant worth under $20, sometimes applied, sometimes not.
And the interest rate itself β the number that determines your monthly payment for years β is frequently marked up above what the bank actually approved you for, with the dealer keeping the spread as a commission called "dealer reserve," without ever telling you the bank's real rate.
He told me: "By the time you're in that office, you've already picked the car, told your family, mentally moved on. That's the exact moment the real markup gets added β because nobody negotiates a finance meeting the way they negotiate a car price."
Here are the 9 things he taught me about how dealership financing actually works.
1. The interest rate you're offered is often not the real rate.
When a dealer arranges financing through a bank or credit union on your behalf, the bank approves you at a specific rate β called the buy rate. The dealer is legally allowed to mark that rate up before presenting it to you, keeping the difference as a commission known as dealer reserve or a "participation fee."
A buyer approved by the bank at 5.5% might be presented a rate of 7.5% or higher, with no disclosure that a lower rate exists, because the dealer profits directly from the spread. Over a 60-72 month loan, a 2-point markup can add $1,500β$3,000+ in extra interest paid.
His rule: get pre-approved by your own bank or credit union before ever stepping into a dealership, then use that number as your baseline β if the dealer can't beat it, you already know the real rate.
When a dealer arranges financing through a bank or credit union on your behalf, the bank approves you at a specific rate β called the buy rate. The dealer is legally allowed to mark that rate up before presenting it to you, keeping the difference as a commission known as dealer reserve or a "participation fee."
A buyer approved by the bank at 5.5% might be presented a rate of 7.5% or higher, with no disclosure that a lower rate exists, because the dealer profits directly from the spread. Over a 60-72 month loan, a 2-point markup can add $1,500β$3,000+ in extra interest paid.
His rule: get pre-approved by your own bank or credit union before ever stepping into a dealership, then use that number as your baseline β if the dealer can't beat it, you already know the real rate.
2. "F&I office" products are almost all separately priced from the car β and almost all negotiable.
Extended warranties, GAP insurance, paint protection, tire and wheel coverage, key replacement plans β these are typically bundled into one rapid-fire presentation, priced as if they're fixed, non-negotiable add-ons.
In reality, nearly every F&I product carries the same negotiation room as the car price itself. The dealer's actual cost on most of these products is 30β70% below the sticker price presented in the office. Asking directly β "what's your best price on this, and can I see it broken out separately from my loan payment?" β routinely surfaces a lower number.
Extended warranties, GAP insurance, paint protection, tire and wheel coverage, key replacement plans β these are typically bundled into one rapid-fire presentation, priced as if they're fixed, non-negotiable add-ons.
In reality, nearly every F&I product carries the same negotiation room as the car price itself. The dealer's actual cost on most of these products is 30β70% below the sticker price presented in the office. Asking directly β "what's your best price on this, and can I see it broken out separately from my loan payment?" β routinely surfaces a lower number.
